From what I can gather, the public's interaction with a doctor depends on availability, insurance, and the patient's general health. Where I live, there are no GPs accepting new patients, so even if you have the time and resources, it is up an uphill battle. Last year I was hospitalized and when they asked about my family's history, I was able to give them fresh data because my parents (senior citizens) had just had their annual physical. My nurse was in shock and awe that my older parents (high risk population) actually saw the doctor outside of illness for preventative measures. But they live on the East coast where there are more doctors. My friends with children (all highly educated, middle class) do have pediatricians but in the last 3 years have had to fight to get their children seen. This lack of interaction with doctors and consequential lack of trust is why Biden's admin asked church leaders to guide people to make smart decisions about the vaccines.
mcclelc t1_j2mj0rv wrote
Reply to comment by penguinpolitician in Researchers find that public health trust was the strongest predictor of positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Information literacy, science literacy, and religiosity affected attitudes to a lesser degree. by glawgii
From what I can gather, the public's interaction with a doctor depends on availability, insurance, and the patient's general health. Where I live, there are no GPs accepting new patients, so even if you have the time and resources, it is up an uphill battle. Last year I was hospitalized and when they asked about my family's history, I was able to give them fresh data because my parents (senior citizens) had just had their annual physical. My nurse was in shock and awe that my older parents (high risk population) actually saw the doctor outside of illness for preventative measures. But they live on the East coast where there are more doctors. My friends with children (all highly educated, middle class) do have pediatricians but in the last 3 years have had to fight to get their children seen. This lack of interaction with doctors and consequential lack of trust is why Biden's admin asked church leaders to guide people to make smart decisions about the vaccines.